Breaking the Shell
by rockstarotaku
Summary: Arthur and Oliver are tired of being insulted and hated by everybody. When one of them had enough and takes a drastic action, the two end up meeting each other in a parallel universe. As they figure out how to return to their own worlds, will Arthur and Oliver learn to cope up with their insecurities and find comfort in each other before their sanity snaps? Uk2p!Uk
1. The Disillusionist

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hetalia and its characters. It is the property of Hidekaz Himaruya.

Warning - Gay theme later on; don't like don't read.

A England x 2p England or Eng2pEng pairing, later in the story.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: The Disillusionist<strong>_

England was sick of everything.

"Iggy man, you are so weak."

"Shut up, you git" A cold glare was thrown at the bespectacled American, who gave a mocking grin in return.

"Angleterre is in such a fragile state now. I remember those times when I used to be envious of his wealth and power overseas, plus maintenant. l will have to find a new rival if he continues to remain so useless" The Frenchman let out a dramatic sigh to emphasize his point.

Useless. Not a new word he has been hearing these recent years.

"Si, he may have defeated my Armada before but I doubt he can do it in his current state" The Spanish nation laughed as he joined the conversation "America controls the economy, Japan, the technology and Germany has the cars. Every country have something they excel at and contribute to the world, but what does he have? Nothing. Inglaterra is such a burden for everyone. Always complaining but never doing anything good for once. Even his own colonies hate him."

" 'Just a small island no one pays any attention to' The Russian man couldn't have said it any better."

"All England is good for is talking to his imaginary friends. He doesn't have any real ones after all" A loud voice exclaimed, getting the whole world to burst out laughing. Somehow, it bothered the said nation more than it would have normally. He was used to all the insults and harsh comments thrown his way but today he couldn't bring himself to ignore it as baloney. Earlier in the morning, England was yelled at by his own Prime Minister. The man was clearly pressured about the Scottish Independence issue and took it out on him. 'What do you mean you can't stop Scotland from declaring Independence? If I am going to do all the work then why the hell is there a need for you, lazy sod' He had said. The morning left a bitter taste in his mouth but he decided to push it into the back of his mind. Easier said than done when everyone around you are set up on making your life miserable. In his presentation, England discussed about the recession in his country and how it was troubling his economy. Instead of receiving some encouraging or comforting words, he was met with the opposite. It didn't even take a minute of tranquil silence, for the other countries to start their bashing.

"If you are all satisfied with your taunting, maybe we can go back to the meeting. There are far more important matters that need to be discussed rather than your slanderous comments about me" England let out the words with his usual commanding voice despite the inner turmoil he was going through.

"Shut up England, nobody cares about what you think!" A yell was heard throughout the meeting hall along with a few snickers. To their surprise, they didn't receive any reaction. Not a word, a glare or even any sort of facial expression which could indicate the man's annoyance, only expressionless green eyes staring at the documents on the table.

Germany coughed at the unusual silence in the meeting, and hesitantly started his own presentation "So these past years, my people have started on..." England didn't hear the rest, he was too consumed in his own thoughts. Usually, he would have scolded himself for not paying attention in a world meeting but today he couldn't care less. So this is what the other nations thought of him; weak, useless, cranky and mental. The Briton knew he didn't have the best relations with the rest of the world but he hadn't known that he was so despised. England was aware of the horrible things he had done to the other countries especially his colonies and he regretted it. He had tried to improve his foreign relations over the decades but nothing mattered. No matter what he did, he was always the 'moody old crazy man' with a stick up his arse and the worst food in the world. Sometimes, it seemed like even his own people didn't want him. He had heard when he walked down the streets of his homeland, how his citizens criticised his every move and wished they could live in America instead. Apparently, his own boss thought he was a dead loss and now Scotland wanted to leave him. Just like the others.

England was sick of it all. He was sick of feeling so useless, so weak and most of all he was sick of being bothered by it all. 'When did I turn into such a pansy?' England laughed dryly in his mind. He just wanted to end it all, jump of a cliff and die but he couldn't. Even though there remains the fact that he couldn't possibly die, Arthur had a responsibility of his nation and his country; England as well as the other nations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It didn't matter what he thought, he had to live and manage his country without letting his personal feelings get in the way. He was a human representation of a nation bound by duties which he couldn't abandon.

England was just like a robot.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The end for now; next up will be Oliver's story. Don't hesitate to point out any mistake about my spelling or an incorrect event. Reviews are always appreciated.


	2. The Psychopath

Second Chapter. Thank you guys for the lovely favourites and folows, they give me a boost to write more :)

This is the 2P Universe so don't get confused if they seem out of character. I used their nation names here as I only know a few of the 2P names.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Hetalia or any of its characters.

Continue~!

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 2: The Psychopath<strong>_

"Pass me the beer, shithead" Prussia stuck out his glass in the air and swirled it around, hitting the Canadian sitting beside him in the face.

"Make me, you piece of scum." Canada decided to take revenge on the albino by pouring the beer all over his head, starting a full out brawl.

"Why is the music SO FUCKIN' LOUD-Ow my head"

"You are the one being loud here, Frattelo."

"Shut up, Romano. Be a good older brother and bring me some cocktail." The Italian glanced distastefully at some teenage girls giggling towards him, making him snarl "Can't they take the hint that I am not interested?"

"Va bene Veneziano, and please stop glaring at the poor ladies. They are merely doing some harmless flirting"

"Whatever, I don't like it" Romano sighed and asked the bartender to bring them alcohol before he lost his patience. "Who's great idea was it to invite all the countries to a bar party?" He mumbled to himself before sighing some more and drinking his share.

"Oi, where the hell is that British bâtard? It has been two hours since the party started. Did nobody invite him?" France asked, staring shamelessly at a blonde girl with big breasts who blushed at his boldness.

"Hontou ni, that might be the case. England teme is really annoying." The Japanese slurred his words, giggling a bit, but growled dangerously when he saw his glass close to empty "Kuso, where is my Sake?" The bartender who was now more than used to the Japanese's profanity, simply rolled his eyes and refilled the cup.

"You are right about that, Jap. That man is so clingy, he really needs to learn what personal space is."

"That big ass smile of his gives me the creeps. It makes him look like a psychopath. Who knows with that guy though, he might be one"

"I bet he ran away from a mental institution" Lithuania said with a blank look while winking at the Polish man sitting beside him, whose cheeks showed an evident redness.

"I have seen him carrying around a knife in the world meetings. Ignore him like I do if you value your life"

"England puts organs in his cupcakes for God's sake! You can't tell me he is not fucked up in the head"

"Whoa really? I heard he poisoned his cupcakes but he also puts organs in them, Gross"

"On top of it, he has fucking _pink_ hair, who the hell has pink hair. His clothing isn't any better, makes him look hideous and gayer than he already is" The American sang the last words and suddenly the room quietened down, except for the music blazing out of the speakers. At this point, everyone were either passed out or making out at some corner of the room. Unbeknownst to them, there was a certain blue eyed Brit standing at the entrance of the bar with a pained expression on his face.

"If you are going to talk behind my back, atleast make sure I'm not there" Oliver let out a shaky smile filled with sadness and immediately left the party, not bothering to go inside. This has been going on for ages. Whenever he was not around, the other nations would sneak the chance to badmouth him. Today it had been kept to a minimum due to the nations being drunk out of their minds. Had they been sober, the harshness would be almost double the amount. The Englishman walked towards his car, drove back home and locked the door behind him before sinking to the ground.

Oliver couldn't hold it back anymore and soon a tear rolled down his left cheek accompanied by several more. He thought he was stronger. That he could pretend to be ignorant and be his usual fake bubbly self, evidently not. He was tired of being treated like dirt and some kind of lab experiment gone wrong. Oliver thought that being extra nice to others would make him feel accepted but it only seemed to scare them away. 'This is it, I can't take it anymore' He weakly stood up and strolled towards his study where a ancient looking bottle sat on the top of his shelf.

'POISON' It read in deep bold letters. Oliver had kept the item for healing purposes. One day, America incidentally found it and unsurprisingly told the whole world that Oliver used it to poison his cupcakes and kill people. He laughed at the irony of what it was going to be used for now. As he held the object in his hand, a cat, Scottish fold with brown patches and white fur, came into the room and looked at him with bright green eyes.

"Even you won't miss me, right Muffin?" As if on cue, the cat immediately left the room leaving the Brit alone with a hurt look on his face "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Slowly he looked at his hand. This was it, his life was finally about to end. Oliver knew as a country he couldn't die but at this point he was past caring. 'Maybe at the best it will put me into a coma. I won't be conscious enough to know what is happening around me' With that thought in mind he drank the toxic item, not leaving a single drop and waited. Suddenly his body went numb and he started to feel dizziness.

"Yes...Finally... I will be free..." Letting out a grin, Oliver closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

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><p>As soon as the meeting ended, Arthur shot out of the conference hall and ran down the street to catch the tube. Fortunately, he was able to do so as the meeting was held in his country. 'Just forget them. Soon enough you will reach home where you can drink tea and knit while watching the telly. You will not be affected by those ungrateful wankers.' Eventhough Arthur kept repeating the same thought like a mantra, it was not doing any justice to his mood.<p>

Turning a few corners, Arthur felt his head spinning. Faintly he could feel his legs about to give out and leaned against the wall. He started to cough excessively and put up a hand to cover his mouth. However, to his horror he noticed streaks of red covering his fingers.

"What is happening?" Arthur managed to yell out before the darkness overtook his vision and he fell to the ground.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: End of this chapter. Have to say though, this sounded so much better in my head. I have a tendency to mix up my thoughts and end up writing incoherent sentences which either sound rushed or jumbled up. Oh well, I still enjoyed writing this. Hopefully my writing will improve with time. Thank you again for taking your time of the day to read this.


	3. And So They Meet

New chapter. You people are really awesome, thanks again for all the love and support you are giving to this story.

Disclaimer: Don't own Hetalia or any of its characters.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 3: And So They Meet<strong>_

**_Arthur's POV_**

My head hurts. What in the Queen's name just happened? The moment I woke up, I was surrounded by darkness. I feel lightheaded and my eyelids are refusing to open. The last thing I remember is passing out on a pavement.

After much struggle, I finally managed to open my eyes and took an eyeful of the place I was in. It was filled with everything white; from the roof to the cupboard. Even the door was a glaring ivory colour. All this brightness pained my eyes to look at, so I took the liberty of closing them. Seemingly, I was passed out longer than I thought and my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. The only explanation I could fathom for my being here was that some nice fellow saw me lying unconscious on a street and brought me to the hospital. Though the more I looked at the inside of the building, the less it looked like a hospital. Okay, this is definitely not the place where I fainted nor any kind of hospital. One thing is for sure, whoever owned this place either is obsessed with white or didn't like colours very much.

Blimey, don't tell me I got kidnapped. Did someone saw me passed out and abducted me to gain some easy quid? This cannot be happening. To think the once mighty British Empire got kidnapped by a hooligan. As if my day wasn't already bad enough, this had to happen. Calm down, England. You are not even sure if you are actually kidnapped. As I tried to wrap my mind around the situation, something beside me moved and I turned my gaze towards the left. It was a figure of a man hunched away from my sight, such that I couldn't see him clearly. All I gathered about him was that he was wearing a pink shirt, purple sweater and grey khaki pants. The more I looked at his hair, the more I deciphered that it was a bright shade of pink. Was this person some kind of punk or something? Not that I have any say in that matter...

Preventing me anymore time to analyse him, the man slowly shifted and sat upright, turning his gaze all over when his eyes landed on mine. Blue, his eyes were blue. Not just any blue though. His eyes had that faint shade of pink in them, I didn't even knew existed. They were quite beautiful, which I would never admit out aloud, of course. The only thing off was that they almost seemed, dead. His pupils seemed devoid of any emotions, just plain empty. Lastly, I grasped that I was stuck in an unknown place with a stranger and instead of trying to get out, I was thinking about his eyes. I blushed at the realization and looked towards the other. To my surprise, he was also staring intently at me.

"Am I in heaven?" The man asked out of the blue in a perfect English accent. He must be one of my citizen then, so that should mean this place is located somewhere in my country. It took me a while to realize what the other just asked and let out a mortifying "WHAT?" when I did.

"This place is too white to be hell, so I assumed it must be heaven" What in the heavens, no pun intended, was this person talking about?

"No sir, this is not heaven and definitely not hell." Which was true since I don't remember dying and also because I knew I couldn't. Although I passed out for no reason, such a simple thing was not capable of killing a nation.

"Oh" He almost seemed sad but maybe it was just my imagination. "Where are we then?"

"I am not sure, I fell unconscious after attending a meeting and before I knew it I ended up here. What about you?" I asked but he didn't reply. Oh wow, what a rude person. Asking me a question he didn't even answer himself, the nerve.

"What is your name?" He asked me again but sighed when I refused to answer "Fine, I will go first. My name is England and yours?"

I blinked once, then twice and finally my eyes widened. Is this some kind of cruel joke being played on me? I looked at my imposter and saw him panicking "You can drop the act" I gritted out harshly.

"What?" He looked at me as he pondered over my words while I checked the room for cameras. There must be some.

"Either America or France paid you to do this, right? You can go home and tell them that their stupid plan failed"

"Why would France or America pay me to do something? They would rather steal my money if they needed to."

"Why would those two need to rob money from you?" I tried to make sense of his words but it didn't fit the description.

"Well you don't kno- Wait, how do you know America and France?" He suddenly inquired.

"Because, I am England?" I sarcastically asked raising an eyebrow. "But you should know that, shouldn't you? After all, it was a prank by some nation to see the old man getting confused so they could laugh at his expense later" I have had enough. Treating me like this after insulting me at the meeting. Am I some kind of puppet these heartless bastards could use to entertain themselves whenever they feel like?

"What prank are you talking about?" Seriously, he is still pretending to be innocent "I will accept that you are a country but how can you be England when I am England?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe someone between us two is lying. But I am pretty sure it's not me" I rolled my eyes. This guy had some incredible acting skills, I will give him that.

"It's not me either. Hey wait, you kind of look like me" My eyes widened at his remark. Now that I looked at him closely, he, indeed, resembled me. Same height, lean figure, big eyebrows like mine and same unruly, unkempt hair. If you ignored the hair and the eye colours, we could almost pass off as twins. How come I didn't notice this earlier? Oh yes, I was too busy trying to figure out where I was.

"H-How is this possible?" I mentally cursed myself for stuttering. The last thing I wanted this person to see me as was a weakling who couldn't defend himself.

"Maybe we are both Englands?" He suggested. Seeming equally confused as me, at the words he said.

"Alternative Identities" I muttered out and suddenly everything clicked into one piece. I have heard of it before but never thought it to be real

"Are you serious?" He asked with widened eyes. I nodded, to which he stared at me apathetically as if he was having a hard time believing it. I don't blame him, it took me some time to register too. "I have heard about it in Old Roman books. According to legend, there was once a famous mountaineer who fell off a cliff and supposedly died but no remains of his were found. There was a ruckus soon afterwards when people found a man similar to him shopping at a local market. Upon questioned, the man revealed that he came from a different universe but he had no idea how he got there and why others kept confusing him for a rock climber. People simply scorned him for a twin trying to get attention and the issue died there. I have never believed in that story myself and I'm not sure if it is even true but it relates to our current situation perfectly" I looked at him for a reaction "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"I would, if there wasn't a living proof in front of me" He explained as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You took that quite well" Better than some wankers I know would. "The reason I accept that explanation so easily is because I do magic and believe in sorcery. I can see fairies and ghosts, yes, you can call me crazy like all the others would"

"I don't think you are crazy." Well, that was new. "While I can't perform magic, I can see ghosts. Well not ghosts per the say, but spirits who have some kind of unfinished business left behind and cannot return to their world. Spirits are usually attracted to me and like to pester me at random times. They say they can smell me, whatever that means. I even have a spirit cat at my home. She's really lazy though, only comes to bother me when she's bored"

My jaw almost dropped at his words. This person could see magical creatures, well spirits but it was something, and they didn't think I was crazy. I was going to let out a small smile but decided against it. It's better not to get close to some stranger who I might never see again. It is painful to let your hopes up and get them crushed afterwards.

"Let's introduce ourselves again. I doubt calling each other England is going to be convenient. My name is Oliver and yours?"

"You can call me Arthur" And suddenly our conversation halted. I took this time to interpret what happened.

So to summarize it. I got taunted by the other countries and my boss, fainted on a busy street for no apparent reason, woke up to realize I had no idea where I was and stuck with some parallel version of myself. All in one day.

Oh yes, my life was just _bloody_ amazing.

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><p>Author's Note: This chapter came out rather rushed but I didn't wanted to drag it out either. I hope my Oliver doesn't seem too OOC, since I have no idea how to draw a broken Oliver without him turning out a little out of character. Also the cat I mentioned in the previous chapter, Muffin, is the spirit cat Oliver is talking about.<p>

Ok now I'm conflicted on whether to write the next chapter as what happened in this chapter through Oliver's eyes, continue it as Arthur's POV or continue it as Oliver's POV. Also I'll try to update the next chapter by Friday, September 12th, my birthday :)


	4. Not our world?

4th Chapter. Finally 17 years old, Yippee! Thank you all the readers for being so supportive so far, you are awesome like Prussia.

Prussia: NEIN! Ore Sama is the awesome-est!

Oh hush, you.

Also, Thank you Guest for the early birthday wish, it made me happy.

Disclaimer: Don't own Hetalia and the characters

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 4: Not our world?<strong>_

_**Oliver's POV**_

I should have died back then. The moment I fainted, I thought I was done for. But no, life was just too cruel to me. Giving me hope then taking it away just as suddenly. Why does God enjoy tormenting me like this?

"Are you okay?" Arthur decided to speak up while I was having an inner battle with myself. His voice was contained with, what seemed like, concern but I must be mistaken. What reason does this person has to be concerned about me? I haven't even known him for an hour. "You look like you are in some kind of inner dilemma"

"I am alright" I was perfectly fine. Why shouldn't I be? It wasn't like I tried to end my life but failed miserably. With some deep breaths, I finally managed to calm down and speak again. "If that story about parallel universes, which you recounted, is true then who's world are we currently in?"

"I have got no clue." Arthur replied as he casually walked towards the door and tried to open it. The door was too white for my liking. Actually, the whole room was painfully bright. Filled with only the colour white, if you can even call it a colour that is. "There's only one way to find out"

"Bloody hell. This stupid thing is refusing to open" Arthur furiously twisted the knob but the door remained still. His pale knuckles were turning pink from the strength he was applying, but the door refused to open as if the wooden barrier didn't actually exist.

"Don't"

"Don't what?"

"Don't curse." I explained and he looked over at me as if I was born with three eyes instead of two.

"Are you serious? We are stuck at who knows where and all you care about is me cursing?" Arthur yelled and gave me a piercing look. No, not that face. Anything besides that. It was the same expression everybody used to mock me.

_'How dare you come near my daughter!'_

_'Miss, I was only trying to give back her toy.'_

_'Do you take me for a fool? Everybody here knows how you torture people for your own sick amusement'_

_'I have never-'_

_'Go away before I call the police. You sick psycho, stay away from my children and me. Just go and die in some hole; the earth is better off without scums like you in the world.'_

"Dear Lord, I didn't mean to upset you" Suddenly realizing that tears were flowing down my face, I tried to wipe them before a handkerchief was presented to me "Take it as an apology. I really didn't mean to make you cry. I was frustrated and unintentionally took it out on you."

"It's fine, Arthur" I accepted the apology and tried to smile that fake smile again but it turned out as more of an grimace.

"Apologies again. If it makes you feel better, I'll try to keep myself from cursing. No promises" He said while awkwardly scratching his cheek. This guy wasn't half bad. Just knowing that he was trying for my sake, kind of made me happy. It was the kindest gesture I have ever received in my life and I dearly appreciated it.

"You must be the type who curses a lot then."

"You have no idea. But in my defence, I am surrounded by idiots"

"That makes two of us." I chuckled and he smiled. Arthur's smile was lovely. His beautiful green eyes seemed to sparkle under his gold like blond hair as he beemed. Who knew my alternative self was so attractive? I hope he isn't disappointed by how I look. "Let me try opening it."

I tried to reach for the door and suddenly my hand accidentally brushed against Arthur's. There was this electricity like sensation at our touch. Arthur jerked his hand away from the shock while I looked at my palm in amazement. This was just too strange for me to comprehend. We both chose not to speak about it as I turned the knob and the door opened, creaking a bit.

"What? It didn't even bulge when I tried!" Arthur said with a pout which I don't think he realized he even had.

"Maybe it was stuck." I opened the door wide and glanced at Arthur. "Are you coming?" He nodded and we both went out.

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><p>Did I earlier complain about the room being too bright? I take it back. It was nowhere as astonishing as what I saw now.<p>

"What the fu-uh..." Arthur started to exclaim but trailed off as I shot him a look.

It was clear that we were neither in Arthur's world, nor mine. The whole city was colourless with only black, grey and the overused white as the colour scheme. As I looked at the people passing by, I noticed that their skin had a light peach colour, thank god, and black for eyes and hair. The sky and the roads were grey while the buildings were white. Even the water, I saw in a nearby lake, was a sick grey colour. As shocked as both Arthur and I were, we failed to notice people stopping by and staring, pointing accusing fingers at us. A sudden shout eventually broke our trance.

"Oh my god dear, look at those weird creatures."

"Why do they have so many strange colours on them?"

"Mom. Look, Aliens!"

All that needed was a policeman coming in our direction and a loud "RUN!" from Arthur, before we both took off.

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><p>Author's Note: This chapter was especially fun to write though short. I think I will include the 1p and the 2p countries in the next few chapters, since some of you want to see their reactions. I wasn't initially planning on it but alright.<p>

To CATLOVER. The reason I don't portray the 2ps as serial killers is because I don't actually seem them as evil. In my opinion, the 2Ps are just the opposite versions of the 1Ps. Since most of the 1Ps are all nice and polite (except for wars but that is a different matter) I think the 2Ps would be really harsh and mean towards each other, being opposites and all. That doesn't automatically make them evil though. This is my interpretation of them, may not be correct but I like to believe it is.

I hope I won't make you eat your words, either.

Thanks for reading, everybody :)


	5. How to Commit a Crime

_** Chapter 5: How to Commit a Crime**_

_**Arthur's POV**_

Some good fifteen minutes later, Oliver and I finally managed to shake off the cops. Never in my life have I imagined there would exist a day when I'll have to run away from the police. To be fair, I hadn't thought I would end up in a different universe either.

It seemed like we had stumbled upon an abandoned alley of the city but it was hard to tell. Everything looked exactly the same.

"Did they finally go away?" Oliver spoke between pants, hands resting on his knees. He was really out of shape for a country. I wasn't the most athletic person in the world but even I could manage to run this much without getting tired.

"Seems like it, but we can't go out there anymore. Not till we look like this." I motioned to myself and then to him, hoping he will understand the gesture.

"What then, stay here for the rest of our lives?"

"Such an optimistic person, aren't you?" I sarcastically remarked. Old habits die hard, even in compromising situations.

"I'm just stating the facts; we have to get out of here eventually. Can't you do magic?"

"Afraid not. I don't have the required ingredients with me at the moment. Also, the spiritual energy is weak in this area. We will have to solve this on our own." Oliver mused on something for a while then suddenly turned to face me.

"I have an idea. It's not great but this is the best we can do at the moment. Promise me you won't freak out." He looked at me with those pleading eyes. Why does that silly tactic always work on me?

"I'm listening" Honestly, what could possibly be worse than our current situation?

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><p>My common sense must be rotting in hell when I agreed to do this. If the police wasn't after our arses before, they sure would be now.<p>

_Flashback_

"Please Arthur, we have to do this."

"We do not. I am not going to become a full fledged criminal just because you didn't have any better plans." I folded my arms and lightly glared at him.

"Neither do you. It's just this once; I won't make you steal again."

"I am not going to do it Oliver. There are some morals which I refuse to break."

"Your morals aren't going to get us out of here. How are we going to figure out a way to go back if we can't even walk in the city without being chased around?" Oliver shouted out, flailing his arms around in exasperation. Since the moment we came here, Oliver had been the patient one between us so it was a shock for me to see him get annoyed. Finally the weight of the situation dawned on me and I felt guilty. The lad was only trying to help while I was creating problems for him by being difficult.

"Fair enough. But I am never going to do this again, Understood?"

"Yes"

"Just get it over with"

"Thank you Arthur"

_Flashback End_

The only reassurance I could offer to myself was that I was not harming anyone physically.

Yet.

I hid in the shadows as Oliver walked up to an abandoned shop we found a while ago. It was the perfect place to rob from, with little to no one else around. Oh great, now even my thinking is becoming identical to a thief's.

I saw a large women in her mid forties, whom I assumed to be the shop owner, come out and stare at Oliver before shrieking the whole place down. He was standing still with a big grin on his face and uttering some random phrases to her in French, why French, while all the other staff members and customers came out of the building. I don't why but something about that grin bothered me. It seemed so fake as if the pink haired man had spent months perfecting it to make it look believable. The thought saddened me for some unknown reason but I disregarded it. Not comprehending what he was saying, one of the staff members threatened to call 999. I saw Oliver flick his fingers indicating my signal as I silently went inside the place. Thankfully the shop was empty so I could easily sneak inside. I grabbed two extremely cheap pair of shirt and trousers. It was bad enough that I had resorted to stealing, it would be worse if I stole something expensive. I saw some sunglasses sitting on the glass panel and quickly grabbed two of them along with some hairspray. Quickly running back outside, I whistled to Oliver who started running after me and the chase began again.

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><p>We arrived in the same alley as before and collapsed down on the ground, exhausted. Too much running for one day.<p>

"You got them?"

"Yes. Here" I quickly handed Oliver his attire, at which he stared dumbfounded.

"What is this?"

"Clothes" I muttered plainly as he rolled his eyes.

"I can see that. Couldn't you have brought something decent to wear?"

"Either this or go around the town naked. Your choice"

"Wouldn't you like to see that?" I frowned as he smirked playfully.

"Shut up, wanker"

"What did I tell you about cursing?"

"Wanker is not a curse, it is a form of endearment"

"Oh yes, and what do you call your enemies then. Sweetheart, darling, honey?"

"No, because two of those belong to American speech. God forbid if I decide to speak an American slang knowingly" Oliver sighed defeated. Guess I won this round.

"We still have to get contacts to cover up our eye colours"

"How about these?" I threw one pair of the sunglasses at him "Why they have these when there is no sunlight here, beats me"

"Maybe they get blinded by the lights like I do. This will do, but wouldn't it make us look suspicious?"

"Better than roaming around with 'strange colours' on us" My awful imitation let out a small laugh from him. A genuine one, not the fake grin like before.

"Oh yes definitely. Here, let me paint your hair first." He grabbed the hairspray from the ground and shook it. I felt perplexed about letting the other experiment on my hair but neglected the annulling thought. It was either that or staying here in this stinking place. My choice was obvious.

I closed my eyes as I felt him coming closer and spray the content of the bottle all over my head. After a while, all sorts of motion ceased so I assumed he was done and I slowly opened my eyes.

"Don't worry, you look fine" Now where did that come from?

"I wasn't worried about that"

"In case you were having any doubts."

"I wasn't. Anyway, it's your turn now" Oliver nodded as I grabbed the bottle from him. Slowly, I sprayed on his hair; making sure to mask all his pink locks with black.

Jesus Christ. Black was totally Oliver's colour. I guess I really needn't worry if I looked half as good as him.

"I am going to change so can you turn around?" He asked softly, looking at the ground.

I reluctantly nodded, about to retort that he shouldn't be shy since we were both men but decided against it. It must be awkward to strip in front of a stranger, not that I couldn't share the sentiment. However I soon realized that wasn't the case when I unintentionally caught the sight of scars on Oliver's back. Is this why he didn't want to take off his clothes in front of me? It was a common occurrence for countries and nations to get scars but his seemed to be painfully recent. I shifted my gaze when he started to take off his trousers; I am not a pervert. Quickly putting on my clothes, I turned around to see that Oliver was done too. His clothes looked pretty dull but that was partly my fault.

"Cheap baggy clothes and sunglasses. What a combination" I felt uncomfortable as Oliver looked me over.

"Do shut up. It's not like I am aiming to be a model"

"You have the looks to be one, only if you had a better sense of style" Whether that was a compliment or a insult, I will never know. Hopefully, I wasn't blushing judging by the heat on my face

"Now you sound like Frog" I sighed while he put the sunglasses on his eyes. I wonder if we looked similar.

"All set to go out" He exclaimed cheerily and gave me that fake smile which I already loathed to bits.

"Which brings us to the original question of how we got here. I was returning home from a world meeting when I ended up in this world and met you..." I trailed off to watch his reaction.

"Yes, I wonder why" I heard the click of a tongue and looked suspiciously at Oliver as he avoided my stare.

There was something he was not telling me but I promised myself not to pry. As much of a Sherlock fanatic as I was, I wasn't sure if I wanted to crack this mystery known as Oliver.


	6. No Return

Hello readers. Thank you for following this story so far. It's nice to see that people are actually interested in reading something written by me.

Sorry for the late update. School hadn't been easy for me these past few weeks.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia and its characters. It is the property of Hidekaz Himaruya.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 6: No Return<strong>_

"Arthur, Stop it" I scolded as he turned to look back for the umpteenth time now.

"It doesn't hurt to be a little cautious. There could be someone hiding nearby; waiting to ambush us." The reply only made me roll my eyes. His paranoia about the whole situation was amusing to watch, but it started to irk me after a while.

"I doubt there is a ninja hiding in the bush, waiting to jump at us " At the exact moment, Arthur checked the shrub nearby to confirm that, indeed, there wasn't a black clad assassin concealed there. I feel like I haven't appreciated the invention of facepalming enough. "Nobody is going to suspect us unless you keep acting so suspiciously. We are in a disguise, a poor excuse of one, but a disguise nonetheless"

"It's only natural for me to not feel safe in this foreign world. There are thousands of questions floating around in my mind that I have no answers to. Why was I brought here? What special occasion happened that I encountered this world now and not before? and why us two instead of the other billions of people on Earth? All this thinking is giving me a headache. I just want to go home" Arthur spoke out frustrated, biting his lower lip in the process. Unfortunately for him, I did not share his perspective. 'Home' was the last place I wanted to go.

After much thinking, I had finally came to a speculation about our incursion. The fact that I am a country and couldn't physically die at will, created a universal disturbance after my failed suicide attempt. Thus Arthur, an identical version of me, was also brought here. This was the best analysis I could come up with so far. However, to Arthur's dismay, I wasn't ready to share this theory with him. When I drank the lethal drink, I was mentally prepared for the judgement I would be given by the other nations, but the image of Arthur staring at me with those cold, loathing eyes sent a negative vibe down my spine.

The one talent that I possessed, and was proud of, was my ability to see through people's facade. I could tell when someone was trying to mask their feelings. The only reason anyone has ever nice to me was, because they were afraid. Afraid I would hurt those close to them: their families, their friends. Arthur was different. He could be quite rude and temperamental at times but it was obvious that he didn't mean any harm by it, not intentionally. He regarded me with neither fear nor hatred. Those eyes, now covered by subdued sunglasses, were sincere yet guarded. Arthur treated me as a normal human being. He treated me like I wasn't the monster I was told to be. There was no malice in his voice just a challenging tone that dared you to meet his eyes, and spoke 'Messing with me won't be fun'. I wasn't going to let those warm eyes turn cruel towards me. Certainly, he would be upset if he found out that I was the reason he ended up here. No, telling Arthur was not an option. Neither was him finding out a way to go back. If we came here together, there was a possibility we would have to return together too. I can't afford to risk that. I can't afford to go back to that hell.

"We should try looking for a library. They might have the books to help us" This isn't looking good. I have to find a distraction quickly. Ironically, the distraction found itself when I heard a loud grumbling sound coming from nearby. Perceiving the redness on Arthur's cheeks, it didn't take a genius to place two and two together.

"First, We should find a place to eat. We haven't had anything to munch since the moment we arrived here"

"How do you plan to do that, genius? We don't have the money used here" I was about to speak when Arthur intervened. "If the next words to come out your mouth have anything to do with robbing or stealing, I will personally see that your tongue is cut off for good"

I simply sighed at the empty threat. Oh boy, Arthur sure knew how to press all the wrong buttons.

"I was going to give a suggestion about finding a job. We will be able to eat something, as long as we find work in a restaurant"

"Wait hold on. What do you mean by 'finding a job'?" Arthur simply stared incredulously at me "We are trying to go back, not settle here"

"Yes, but who knows how long it will take for us to return. Until then, we should atleast find a mean to support ourselves"

"I still say we go to the library, the earlier we get out of here, the better"

"Because trying to figure out something, works so well when your stomach is vacant" Arthur may be stubborn but I wasn't the one to back down that easily either. Looks like there was some similarity between us, after all. Arthur looked at me for a while then folded his arms and shifted his gaze to the side, looking like a child who had lost his favourite toy.

"Alright, we will get something to eat, but after that we are going to the library" I grinned inwardly. Victory at last.

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><p>Finding a place to work didn't take long. The whole city was filled with 'Now Hiring' Posters as far as your head could turn. Unemployment mustn't be a issue here, I suppose. I don't know what possessed me but when I saw the same poster on a Bakery, my feet started to move in its direction. Maybe it was my love of pastries that compelled me to do so. Arthur soon realized where I was intending to go and raised an eyebrow.<p>

"I thought we were going to a restaurant?"

"Restaurant or bakery, one thing they have in common is food. I don't know about you but I like the sound of eating a freshly baked pastry while the sweet aroma of hot tea tinkles past my nose" Just then Arthur's tummy decided to rumble again. See? Even his stomach agreed with me.

"Let's just go there already" Arthur wrapped the arms around his torso, in an attempt to make it stop from embarrassing him further as he followed me to the building.

I opened the front door and mutely went inside the place. The sound of the wind chimes rang in my ears as I entered the shop. Arthur came not far behind.

"Welcome. How may I help you?" A cheery voice greeted us. It was the voice of a grey haired, pudgy woman. Her bright black eyes and beaming smile seemed to lighten up the otherwise forsaken place.

"My brother and I were looking for a job when we came across the flyer outside this shop. We thought, maybe the owner here might be able to help us."

"Certainly, please come in" the lady invited us as we shared a look "Business has been down ever since my husband left for war, I'm glad that fine young men like you have come to save this old woman" No wonder, there were so many vacancies for jobs. People were out there fighting a war. The lady, on the other hand, seemed to be quite a garrulous creature as she kept asking us questions.

"Why are you two wearing sunglasses? It's not even bright in this area"

"Well, you see Mrs." "Carla Hughes" "You see Mrs Hughes, Arthur and I have a chronic eye disease, caught from birth. Seeing as it is highly contagious, we have to wear these in order to prevent others from getting it" I tried to explain poorly but it seemed to work when I saw realization pass over her face.

"It must be tough for you two. Having such a horrible disease while struggling to survive in a meager condition." Mrs Hughes gave us a sympathetic smile over her wrong assumption. With the type of clothes we were wearing, honestly I couldn't blame her. Arthur was about to contradict her statement but got obstructed.

"Sorry to be such a hassle, but do you think you can provide us with some food and a place to stay? We are not in the best position at the moment. You are free to cut the money from our pay" I tried my best to give a persuading look but it wasn't needed. Arthur sent a nasty look on my interruption but I chose to ignore it.

"Oh no dear, it surely wouldn't be a problem. I don't have any customers to tend to so order whatever you like. Also, you two can start work from tomorrow" I frowned. No work today meant that our next stop was the library. I sighed defeated and muttered "Green Tea and a Crumpet, please"

Only after receiving a blank look, did I realise my mistake. Green. Of course she wouldn't have Green Tea, she didn't even knew what green was.

"He meant Ginger tea. As for me, I'll have Earl Grey with mince pie" Thankfully, Arthur decided to save me the misery. He had more common sense than me, to actually read the menu before answering.

"I see. I will be right back with your order." The lady nimbly went back, humming a tune under her breath. As she left, I shot Arthur a thankful look while he conversed through his eyes 'It's your turn to keep the end of the promise.'

What did I get myself into.

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><p>Thanks to Mrs Hughes, Arthur soon found the address of the nearest library. Walking there was, roughly, a fifteen minutes distance. The building was huge compared to the city and provided a marvelous view from the outside. The appeal of the building was dimmed by the rash attitude of the students inside. They were being really noisy, eating here and there, talking loudly with their friends and shouting some rather indecent phrases across the room. It was hard to determine that this kind of place was an actual library. Even the librarian was sitting there casually, ignoring all the ruckus like was it was a normal occurrence. Truthfully, I wouldn't be surprised if it was.<p>

"Let's get to the searching. I don't want to stay in this place more than I have to, 'dear brother' " For once, I agreed with Arthur. I overlooked his brother comment just for the sake of it.

Arthur picked up a book and opened up to its first page, closed it then opened another. The routine went on for quite a while when suddenly he let out a loud grunt. I searched his face for an explanation.

"It's in gibberish" Arthur said and sighed, slamming the book close harshly. I looked at it for confirmation. "This doesn't make sense. I thought they would write books in English since they seem to speak in the same language."

"Who's to say this isn't English? Just because the people here seem to speak English the same way we do, doesn't mean they write alike."

"That's just fantastic. Now we're stuck here forever" Arthur rubbed the forehead with his fingers, looking rather discouraged. I gave a squeeze on his left shoulder as a gesture to comfort him.

"Don't worry Arthur. We'll find some other way to go back. Don't be so upset" Arthur left the books on the table and grudgingly began to head back but stopped when he didn't feel me following him. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm putting the books in the right place. Don't want to increase the librarian's work, now do we? Go on ahead, I'll meet you at the bakery"

"Hurry up" With that, he left the building. I turned my attention to the book placed on my hand and opened it. As I thought, I could actually read it. Not all of it, but most of the words. It was indeed English but slightly altered. I found it quite odd at first that I could read the title of the book which Arthur couldn't but then realized that it must be the universe thing.

I felt bad for lying to Arthur but it had to be done. If I had told him that I could read the words in the book, he would have asked me to translate it for him and found a clue or two. Yes, It was a good thing I hadn't told him. There was nothing wrong in caring about your happiness. With that thought in mind, I returned the books to the shelf and went outside to join Arthur, ignoring the guilty feeling I felt deep inside.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: Not going to lie, I had a major Writer's Block in this chapter. I knew how I wanted this story to go and end but the pacing was difficult to determine. Hopefully it turned out alright. I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, it would make my day.


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